Did you know that 90 percent
of our nutritional
energy comes from oxygen—
and only 10 percent
is derived from the food
we ingest? Oxygen is fundamental.
Colorless, tasteless
and odorless, oxygen is
the supreme element— a primary nutrient without
which life couldn’t exist. We can live without
food for weeks and without water for between
three to seven days. But how long can we
live without oxygen? Five minutes. That’s
how important it is.
Our bodies literally starve without oxygen.
Each of the body’s estimated 100 trillion cells
requires oxygen for each and every one of its
metabolic processes. You need oxygen in order
to combust foods to provide energy for the
heart, brain and cells.
All functions of our body are regulated by oxygen.
The ability to think, feel, move, eat, sleep
and even talk all depends on energy generated
from oxygen. Our brain needs oxygen to process
information. Our body uses oxygen to metabolize
food and to eliminate toxins and waste
through oxidation. Oxygen energizes cells so
they can regenerate— and provides vital cellular
flexibility. In fact, all of our organs need a
great deal of oxygen to function efficiently.
That's why it must be replaced on a momentto-
moment basis.
Oxygen is also one of the most significant
anti-aging components. The more we saturate
our cells with stabilized oxygen the lower the
rate of wear and tear on our bodies. Oxygen’s
natural ability to catabolize or oxidize bacteria,
fungi and viruses plays a very significant role
in preventing degenerative diseases and sustaining
the natural immortality factor of the
cell. In fact, were we to take any fungus, virus
or pathogenic bacteria and put these invaders
in a petri culture dish, then drop stabilized
oxygen on them, they would all die on contact.
The challenge, then, is clear: to get oxygen
not only into our bodies, but directly into the
cells where it can fight pathogens, burn up toxins,
and support our overall internal health.
And, we want to bring oxygen into the body
without creating the harmful free radicals considered
to be a major cause of premature aging.
Q: IT SOUNDS LIKE DISEASES OCCUR
WHEN OXYGEN LEVELS ARE INSUFFICIENT.
IS THIS CORRECT?
That seems to be the case. Without sufficient
oxygen, cells simply cannot function properly
and disease can set in. In the 1940s, Nobel
Laureate Dr. Otto Warburg stated emphatically
that all disease is ultimately related to oxygen
starvation. More recently, Dr. Stephen Levine,
a molecular biologist and nutrition researcher,
said the same thing: hypoxia— low oxygen levels
in the cells— results in disease.
Initial symptoms of oxygen deficiency may
include overall weakness, fatigue, circulation
problems, poor digestion, muscle aches and
pains, dizziness, depression, memory loss, irrational
behavior, irritability, acid stomach, and
bronchial complications. When the immune
system is compromised by a lack of oxygen,
the body is more susceptible to opportunistic
bacteria, viral, and parasitic infections, colds,
and flu. Oxygen deprivation can also trigger
life-threatening diseases.
Q: WHY AREN’T OUR BODIES GETTING
ENOUGH OXYGEN?
With millions of square miles of oxygenregenerating
rainforest already destroyed (and
disease growing in our remaining forests), and
huge amounts of precious oxygen-producing
sea algae destroyed by pollution, our great
sources of oxygen are being severely compromised.
And, research scientists have determined
that— unless concerted global efforts
are made to protect the atmosphere— our
atmospheric oxygen concentration levels will
continue being reduced by about 0.8% every 15
years or so.
There are other factors that can cause oxygen
depletion:
• Emotional Stress— which produces adrenaline
and adrenal-related hormones, and which
utilize more oxygen;
•Physical Trauma— which reduces circulation
and oxygen supply to many cells and tissues
throughout the body;
•Infections— which use oxygen to fight bacteria,
fungi and viruses. Use of drugs also depletes
our oxygen supplies at the cellular level.
Today, noted authorities stress that most diseases,
especially yeast or fungal infections like
candida albicans, occur most frequently in any
oxygen-poor environment in the body. Dr.
Stephen Levine has stated “We can look at oxygen
deficiency as the single greatest cause of
all disease.” Thus the development of a shortage
of oxygen in the blood could very well be
the starting point for the loss of the immune
system and the beginning of feared health
problems such as cancer, leukemia, AIDS,
seizures, nerve deterioration and candida.
Q: IS THERE AN IDEAL OXYGEN LEVEL?
The average concentration of oxygen in the
blood stream is between 60 percent and 70
percent. At this level people feel generally
good, with average energy and intelligence.
However, if the oxygen level drops below 60
percent, disease begins to take over the management
of the cells as they become overwhelmed
by pathogens. The minimum concentration
of oxygen needed to sustain life is
about 52 percent, but at this level one is not
very much alive.
Optimally, we want to keep our oxygen supply
around 80 percent so that we can maximize
our energy and feel terrific. At that level,
we can detoxify the body, wipe out infections
and boost our health, vitality and natural
intelligence enormously.